Sunday, November 8
Stateline, NV
1:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
Nevada
Darius Bivins has opened up his collegiate career with a pair of double-digit scoring efforts
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
11/6/2026 10:52:00 AM | Men's Basketball
STATELINE, Nev. — Saint Mary's Men's Basketball will have the unique privilege of playing in the first NCAA Division I Men's Basketball game played at the Tahoe Blue Center in Stateline, Nevada, taking on the Nevada Wolf Pack on Sunday, November 11 at 1:30 p.m. The game will mark the first test for first year Head Coach Mickey McConnell's squad away from the friendly confines of UCU Pavilion, in a game that will feature 180 miles of travel for the Gaels, and just 60 miles of travel for the Wolf Pack.Â
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (2-0) vs. Nevada Wolf Pack (1-0)
Sunday, November 11 at 1:30 p.m.
Tahoe Blue Event Center – Stateline, Nev.
LISTEN | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
MR. PERFECT
Louisville transfer Vangelis Zougris has opened up the season with a perfect 12-12 field goal clip. The Athens, Greece native made his debut going 7-for-7 against Illinois State, followed by a 5-for-5 showing against North Dakota State. He is the first Gael to go without a miss from the field in his first two games since Harry Wessels went 4-for-4 from the field in his first three collegiate games in 2022. Zougris is the first Gael to open a season without a miss on 12 attempts. He currently is one of 16 players to have not missed from the field this season, and the only one with more than eight attempts.
EVERYBODY EATS
Just two games into the season, Saint Mary's has already played all 14 of their active players, with 12 of those 14 scoring. The last time the Gaels had 12 different scorers just two games into the season was the 2023-24 campaign, as Saint Mary's had 12 different players score in their season opener victory over Stanislaus State that year.
IT TOOK 'EM A HALF
In the first 20 minutes of the Mickey McConnell era in Moraga, Saint Mary's found themselves trailing Illinois State, 39-33. The Gaels shot just 1-for-8 from three and turned the ball over seven times, while allowing the Redbirds to shoot at a 45% clip from the field. Since that point, Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 162-110. Since the start of the second half against Illinois State, the Gaels have shot 63.1% from the field, 57.5% from three, and have turned it over just 12 times in 65 minutes of play.
RECORD-BREAKING THREE POINT BARRAGEÂ
For the first time in program history, Saint Mary's splashed home 20 three pointers in a 105-64 win over North Dakota State, breaking the previous record of 19 made threes in a single contest, set against Cal Poly on Dec. 14, 2015. Nine different Gaels made a triple in this one, led by a 5-6 perimeter clip from Josh Dent. The Gaels converted those 20 threes on just 31 attempts, good for a 64.5% clip, the best since Dec. 14, 2019 in a win at Cal.
ABOUT THE WOLF PACK
Nevada opened its 2026-27 campaign with a massive 86-49 victory over a Robert Morris side that was picked to finish in second place in the Horizon League. That, paired with a pair of exhibition wins over Utah and Portland State, spell exciting things for what will officially be the final season of the Steve Alford era in Nevada, as the eighth year head coach has announced his retirement at the end of the season. The Wolf Pack went 24-13 last season, earning an NIT Berth, and making it to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Auburn. After returning a pair of starters from last year's squad in Vaughn Weems and Elijah Price, and adding key transfers Peter Bandelj (Cal Poly), Styles Phipps (Pepperdine) and Simon Majok (Memphis), were picked to finish third in the Mountain West Preseason Poll. In their 37 point victory over RMU on Monday night, the Wolf Pack were led by Price, who dropped 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting and ripped down seven boards. Phipps, who is no stranger to the Gaels after spending last year as Pepperdine's starting PG, added 13 points (6-9 FG), eight rebounds and five assists without a turnover. The Gaels did a terrific job bottling up Phipps in their two meetings with the Waves last year, limiting him to just 7.5 PPG on 30% shooting (6-20) from the field. This meeting marks the 90th all-time showdown between these two regional foes, with the Gaels leading the all-time series, 49-40.
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (2-0) vs. Nevada Wolf Pack (1-0)
Sunday, November 11 at 1:30 p.m.
Tahoe Blue Event Center – Stateline, Nev.
LISTEN | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
MR. PERFECT
Louisville transfer Vangelis Zougris has opened up the season with a perfect 12-12 field goal clip. The Athens, Greece native made his debut going 7-for-7 against Illinois State, followed by a 5-for-5 showing against North Dakota State. He is the first Gael to go without a miss from the field in his first two games since Harry Wessels went 4-for-4 from the field in his first three collegiate games in 2022. Zougris is the first Gael to open a season without a miss on 12 attempts. He currently is one of 16 players to have not missed from the field this season, and the only one with more than eight attempts.
EVERYBODY EATS
Just two games into the season, Saint Mary's has already played all 14 of their active players, with 12 of those 14 scoring. The last time the Gaels had 12 different scorers just two games into the season was the 2023-24 campaign, as Saint Mary's had 12 different players score in their season opener victory over Stanislaus State that year.
IT TOOK 'EM A HALF
In the first 20 minutes of the Mickey McConnell era in Moraga, Saint Mary's found themselves trailing Illinois State, 39-33. The Gaels shot just 1-for-8 from three and turned the ball over seven times, while allowing the Redbirds to shoot at a 45% clip from the field. Since that point, Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 162-110. Since the start of the second half against Illinois State, the Gaels have shot 63.1% from the field, 57.5% from three, and have turned it over just 12 times in 65 minutes of play.
RECORD-BREAKING THREE POINT BARRAGEÂ
For the first time in program history, Saint Mary's splashed home 20 three pointers in a 105-64 win over North Dakota State, breaking the previous record of 19 made threes in a single contest, set against Cal Poly on Dec. 14, 2015. Nine different Gaels made a triple in this one, led by a 5-6 perimeter clip from Josh Dent. The Gaels converted those 20 threes on just 31 attempts, good for a 64.5% clip, the best since Dec. 14, 2019 in a win at Cal.
ABOUT THE WOLF PACK
Nevada opened its 2026-27 campaign with a massive 86-49 victory over a Robert Morris side that was picked to finish in second place in the Horizon League. That, paired with a pair of exhibition wins over Utah and Portland State, spell exciting things for what will officially be the final season of the Steve Alford era in Nevada, as the eighth year head coach has announced his retirement at the end of the season. The Wolf Pack went 24-13 last season, earning an NIT Berth, and making it to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Auburn. After returning a pair of starters from last year's squad in Vaughn Weems and Elijah Price, and adding key transfers Peter Bandelj (Cal Poly), Styles Phipps (Pepperdine) and Simon Majok (Memphis), were picked to finish third in the Mountain West Preseason Poll. In their 37 point victory over RMU on Monday night, the Wolf Pack were led by Price, who dropped 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting and ripped down seven boards. Phipps, who is no stranger to the Gaels after spending last year as Pepperdine's starting PG, added 13 points (6-9 FG), eight rebounds and five assists without a turnover. The Gaels did a terrific job bottling up Phipps in their two meetings with the Waves last year, limiting him to just 7.5 PPG on 30% shooting (6-20) from the field. This meeting marks the 90th all-time showdown between these two regional foes, with the Gaels leading the all-time series, 49-40.
Players Mentioned
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